Spinach hybrid RX 06692157

ABSTRACT

The invention provides seed and plants of spinach hybrid RX 06692157 and the parent lines thereof. The invention thus relates to the plants, seeds and tissue cultures of spinach hybrid RX 06692157 and the parent lines thereof, and to methods for producing a spinach plant produced by crossing such plants with themselves or with another spinach plant, such as a plant of another genotype. The invention further relates to seeds and plants produced by such crossing. The invention further relates to parts of such plants, including the leaf and gametes of such plants.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the priority of U.S. Provisional Appl. Ser. No.61/597,655, filed Feb. 10, 2012, the entire disclosure of which isincorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of plant breeding and, morespecifically, to the development of spinach hybrid RX 06692157, andparent spinach lines SSB66-1129F and MSA66-1119M.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The goal of vegetable breeding is to combine various desirable traits ina single variety/hybrid. Such desirable traits may include any traitdeemed beneficial by a grower and/or consumer, including greater yield,resistance to insects or pests, tolerance to environmental stress,better agronomic quality, higher nutritional value, growth rate andfruit properties.

Breeding techniques take advantage of a plant's method of pollination.There are two general methods of pollination: a plant self-pollinates ifpollen from one flower is transferred to the same or another flower ofthe same plant or plant variety. A plant cross-pollinates if pollencomes to it from a flower of a different plant variety.

Plants that have been self-pollinated and selected for type over manygenerations become homozygous at almost all gene loci and produce auniform population of true breeding progeny, a homozygous plant. A crossbetween two such homozygous plants of different genotypes produces auniform population of hybrid plants that are heterozygous for many geneloci. Conversely, a cross of two plants each heterozygous at a number ofloci produces a population of hybrid plants that differ genetically andare not uniform. The resulting non-uniformity makes performanceunpredictable.

The development of uniform varieties requires the development ofhomozygous inbred plants, the crossing of these inbred plants, and theevaluation of the crosses. Pedigree breeding and recurrent selection areexamples of breeding methods that have been used to develop inbredplants from breeding populations. Those breeding methods combine thegenetic backgrounds from two or more plants or various other broad-basedsources into breeding pools from which new lines and hybrids derivedtherefrom are developed by selfing and selection of desired phenotypes.The new lines and hybrids are evaluated to determine which of those havecommercial potential.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, the present invention provides a spinach plant of thehybrid designated RX 06692157, the spinach line SSB66-1129F, orMSA66-1119M. Also provided are spinach plants having all thephysiological and morphological characteristics of such a plant. Partsof these spinach plants are also provided, for example, includingpollen, an ovule, scion, a rootstock, a fruit, and a cell of the plant.

In another aspect of the invention, a plant of spinach hybrid RX06692157 and/or spinach lines SSB66-1129F and MSA66-1119M comprising anadded heritable trait is provided. The heritable trait may comprise agenetic locus that is, for example, a dominant or recessive allele. Inone embodiment of the invention, a plant of spinach hybrid RX 06692157and/or spinach lines SSB66-1129F and MSA66-1119M is defined ascomprising a single locus conversion. In specific embodiments of theinvention, an added genetic locus confers one or more traits such as,for example, herbicide tolerance, insect resistance, disease resistance,and modified carbohydrate metabolism. In further embodiments, the traitmay be conferred by a naturally occurring gene introduced into thegenome of a line by backcrossing, a natural or induced mutation, or atransgene introduced through genetic transformation techniques into theplant or a progenitor of any previous generation thereof. Whenintroduced through transformation, a genetic locus may comprise one ormore genes integrated at a single chromosomal location.

The invention also concerns the seed of spinach hybrid RX 06692157and/or spinach lines SSB66-1129F and MSA66-1119M. The spinach seed ofthe invention may be provided as an essentially homogeneous populationof spinach seed of spinach hybrid RX 06692157 and/or spinach linesSSB66-1129F and MSA66-1119M. Essentially homogeneous populations of seedare generally free from substantial numbers of other seed. Therefore,seed of hybrid RX 06692157 and/or spinach lines SSB66-1129F andMSA66-1119M may be defined as forming at least about 97% of the totalseed, including at least about 98%, 99% or more of the seed. The seedpopulation may be separately grown to provide an essentially homogeneouspopulation of spinach plants designated RX 06692157 and/or spinach linesSSB66-1129F and MSA66-1119M.

In yet another aspect of the invention, a tissue culture of regenerablecells of a spinach plant of hybrid RX 06692157 and/or spinach linesSSB66-1129F and MSA66-1119M is provided. The tissue culture willpreferably be capable of regenerating spinach plants capable ofexpressing all of the physiological and morphological characteristics ofthe starting plant, and of regenerating plants having substantially thesame genotype as the starting plant. Examples of some of thephysiological and morphological characteristics of the hybrid RX06692157 and/or spinach lines SSB66-1129F and MSA66-1119M include thosetraits set forth in the tables herein. The regenerable cells in suchtissue cultures may be derived, for example, from embryos, meristems,cotyledons, pollen, leaves, anthers, roots, root tips, pistils, flowers,seed and stalks. Still further, the present invention provides spinachplants regenerated from a tissue culture of the invention, the plantshaving all the physiological and morphological characteristics of hybridRX 06692157 and/or spinach lines SSB66-1129F and MSA66-1119M.

In still yet another aspect of the invention, processes are provided forproducing spinach seeds, plants and fruit, which processes generallycomprise crossing a first parent spinach plant with a second parentspinach plant, wherein at least one of the first or second parentspinach plants is a plant of spinach line SSB66-1129F or MSA66-1119M.These processes may be further exemplified as processes for preparinghybrid spinach seed or plants, wherein a first spinach plant is crossedwith a second spinach plant of a different, distinct genotype to providea hybrid that has, as one of its parents, a plant of spinach lineSSB66-1129F or MSA66-1119M. In these processes, crossing will result inthe production of seed. The seed production occurs regardless of whetherthe seed is collected or not.

In one embodiment of the invention, the first step in “crossing”comprises planting seeds of a first and second parent spinach plant,often in proximity so that pollination will occur for example, mediatedby insect vectors. Alternatively, pollen can be transferred manually.Where the plant is self-pollinated, pollination may occur without theneed for direct human intervention other than plant cultivation.

A second step may comprise cultivating or growing the seeds of first andsecond parent spinach plants into plants that bear flowers. A third stepmay comprise preventing self-pollination of the plants, such as byemasculating the flowers (i.e., killing or removing the pollen).

A fourth step for a hybrid cross may comprise cross-pollination betweenthe first and second parent spinach plants. Yet another step comprisesharvesting the seeds from at least one of the parent spinach plants. Theharvested seed can be grown to produce a spinach plant or hybrid spinachplant.

The present invention also provides the spinach seeds and plantsproduced by a process that comprises crossing a first parent spinachplant with a second parent spinach plant, wherein at least one of thefirst or second parent spinach plants is a plant of spinach hybrid RX06692157 and/or spinach lines SSB66-1129F and MSA66-1119M. In oneembodiment of the invention, spinach seed and plants produced by theprocess are first generation (F₁) hybrid spinach seed and plantsproduced by crossing a plant in accordance with the invention withanother, distinct plant. The present invention further contemplatesplant parts of such an F₁ hybrid spinach plant, and methods of usethereof. Therefore, certain exemplary embodiments of the inventionprovide an F₁ hybrid spinach plant and seed thereof.

In still yet another aspect, the present invention provides a method ofproducing a plant derived from hybrid RX 06692157 and/or spinach linesSSB66-1129F and MSA66-1119M, the method comprising the steps of: (a)preparing a progeny plant derived from hybrid RX 06692157 and/or spinachlines SSB66-1129F and MSA66-1119M, wherein said preparing comprisescrossing a plant of the hybrid RX 06692157 and/or spinach linesSSB66-1129F and MSA66-1119M with a second plant; and (b) crossing theprogeny plant with itself or a second plant to produce a seed of aprogeny plant of a subsequent generation. In further embodiments, themethod may additionally comprise: (c) growing a progeny plant of asubsequent generation from said seed of a progeny plant of a subsequentgeneration and crossing the progeny plant of a subsequent generationwith itself or a second plant; and repeating the steps for an additional3-10 generations to produce a plant derived from hybrid RX 06692157and/or spinach lines SSB66-1129F and MSA66-1119M. The plant derived fromhybrid RX 06692157 and/or spinach lines SSB66-1129F and MSA66-1119M maybe an inbred line, and the aforementioned repeated crossing steps may bedefined as comprising sufficient inbreeding to produce the inbred line.In the method, it may be desirable to select particular plants resultingfrom step (c) for continued crossing according to steps (b) and (c). Byselecting plants having one or more desirable traits, a plant derivedfrom hybrid RX 06692157 and/or spinach lines SSB66-1129F and MSA66-1119Mis obtained which possesses some of the desirable traits of theline/hybrid as well as potentially other selected traits.

In certain embodiments, the present invention provides a method ofproducing food or feed comprising: (a) obtaining a plant of spinachhybrid RX 06692157 and/or spinach lines SSB66-1129F and MSA66-1119M,wherein the plant has been cultivated to maturity, and (b) collecting atleast one spinach from the plant.

In still yet another aspect of the invention, the genetic complement ofspinach hybrid RX 06692157 and/or spinach lines SSB66-1129F andMSA66-1119M is provided. The phrase “genetic complement” is used torefer to the aggregate of nucleotide sequences, the expression of whichsequences defines the phenotype of, in the present case, a spinachplant, or a cell or tissue of that plant. A genetic complement thusrepresents the genetic makeup of a cell, tissue or plant, and a hybridgenetic complement represents the genetic make up of a hybrid cell,tissue or plant. The invention thus provides spinach plant cells thathave a genetic complement in accordance with the spinach plant cellsdisclosed herein, and seeds and plants containing such cells.

Plant genetic complements may be assessed by genetic marker profiles,and by the expression of phenotypic traits that are characteristic ofthe expression of the genetic complement, e.g., isozyme typing profiles.It is understood that hybrid RX 06692157 and/or spinach linesSSB66-1129F and MSA66-1119M could be identified by any of the many wellknown techniques such as, for example, Simple Sequence LengthPolymorphisms (SSLPs) (Williams et al., Nucleic Acids Res., 18:6531-6535, 1990), Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNAs (RAPDs), DNAAmplification Fingerprinting (DAF), Sequence Characterized AmplifiedRegions (SCARs), Arbitrary Primed Polymerase Chain Reaction (AP-PCR),Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms (AFLPs) (EP 534 858,specifically incorporated herein by reference in its entirety), andSingle Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) (Wang et al., Science,280:1077-1082, 1998).

In still yet another aspect, the present invention provides hybridgenetic complements, as represented by spinach plant cells, tissues,plants, and seeds, formed by the combination of a haploid geneticcomplement of a spinach plant of the invention with a haploid geneticcomplement of a second spinach plant, preferably, another, distinctspinach plant. In another aspect, the present invention provides aspinach plant regenerated from a tissue culture that comprises a hybridgenetic complement of this invention.

Any embodiment discussed herein with respect to one aspect of theinvention applies to other aspects of the invention as well, unlessspecifically noted.

The term “about” is used to indicate that a value includes the standarddeviation of the mean for the device or method being employed todetermine the value. The use of the term “or” in the claims is used tomean “and/or” unless explicitly indicated to refer to alternatives onlyor the alternatives are mutually exclusive. When used in conjunctionwith the word “comprising” or other open language in the claims, thewords “a” and “an” denote “one or more,” unless specifically notedotherwise. The terms “comprise,” “have” and “include” are open-endedlinking verbs. Any forms or tenses of one or more of these verbs, suchas “comprises,” “comprising,” “has,” “having,” “includes” and“including,” are also open-ended. For example, any method that“comprises,” “has” or “includes” one or more steps is not limited topossessing only those one or more steps and also covers other unlistedsteps. Similarly, any plant that “comprises,” “has” or “includes” one ormore traits is not limited to possessing only those one or more traitsand covers other unlisted traits.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent from the following detailed description. It should beunderstood, however, that the detailed description and any specificexamples provided, while indicating specific embodiments of theinvention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changesand modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention willbecome apparent to those skilled in the art from this detaileddescription.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides methods and compositions relating to plants,seeds and derivatives of spinach hybrid RX 06692157, spinach lineSSB66-1129F or MSA66-1119M.

Spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) hybrid RX 06692157 is a mid late bolting,Savoy leaf type variety, with resistance against Downy mildew race Pfs.1 until 13.

Spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) line SSB 66-1129F exhibits a number ofbeneficial traits including resistance to Peronospora farinosa f.sp.spinaciae against the races Pfs 1 till Pfs 13.

The development of the line can be summarized as follows.

A. Origin and Breeding History of Spinach Hybrid RX 06692157

RX 06692157 was developed at the Monsanto Research station inWageningen, The Netherlands, initially by crossing SSB66-1129F as afemale parent with MSA66-1119M as a male. The final outcome is a midlate bolting hybrid with semi-Savoy leaves with downy mildew resistancesagainst the races Pfs 1 till Pfs 13.

Observation during variety selections over a 2-year period confirmedthat RX 06692157 is uniform and stable. As is true with other spinachvarieties, a small percentage of off-types can occur for almost anycharacteristics during the course of repeated multiplications. However,no variants were observed for RX 06692157. It is uniform and stable.

Line SSB66-1129F was developed at the Monsanto Research station inWageningen, The Netherlands, by pedigree selection out of a breedingcross in which we wanted to combine a good inbred line with Pfs10resistance from the F1 variety Imola. The origin and selections that ledto the development of SSB66-1129F can be summarized as follows(S=Selfing, M=Mass selection):

Main Genera- selection Year tion Material criteria Year 1 F1[OMB66-1012FxOMB66-1018D] * Add [SVR06894007] * [Imola(PV170)] Pfs10res. Year 2 F2. Pfs10 res., color Year 2 F2.S1 Pfs10 res. Year 4 F2.S2.Uniformity Year 5 F2.S2.M1 Uniformity

The final outcome is a line, which combines a dark color with theresistance against the races Pfs 1 till Pfs 13. Observation during themass selection one year and the stock seed production in other yearsconfirmed that SMB66-1129F is uniform and stable. As is true with otherspinach varieties, a small percentage of off-types can occur for almostany characteristics during the course of repeated multiplications.However, no variants were observed during the three years in whichSSB66-1129F was observed to be uniform and stable.

Spinach line MSA66-1119M was developed by pedigree selection out of aproprietary Seminis hybrid “Spitfire”. Spitfire is the cross between theSeminis female line MSA66-1031F and the male line SMB66-1025M. Theorigin and selections that led to the development of line MSA66-1119Mcan be summarized as follows (S=Selfing, M=Mass Selection):

Year 1 F1 generation grown from line Spitfire. No selection. Year 1 F2generation grown. No selection. Year 2 F2.S1 generation grown. Selectedfor Pfs 7 resistance, color and savoyness. Year 3 F2.S2 generationgrown. Selected for Pfs 7 resistance, color and tenability. Year 4 F2.S3generation grown. Selected for color, savoyness and tenability. Year 5F2.S4 generation grown. Selected for color and tenability. Year 6F2.S4.M1 generation grown. Selected for uniformity. Year 7 F2.S4.M2generation grown. Selected for uniformity.

Observations confirm that MSA66-1119M is uniform and stable. As is truewith other spinach varieties, a small percentage of off-types can occurfor almost any characteristics during the course of repeatedmultiplications. However, no variants were observed during the two yearsin which MSA66-1119M was observed to be uniform and stable.

The parent lines are uniform and stable, as is a hybrid producedtherefrom. A small percentage of variants can occur within commerciallyacceptable limits for almost any characteristic during the course ofrepeated multiplication. However no variants are expected.

B. Physiological and Morphological Characteristics of Spinach Hybrid RX06692157, and Spinach Lines SSB66-1129F and MSA66-1119M

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there isprovided a plant having the physiological and morphologicalcharacteristics of spinach hybrid RX 06692157 and the parent linesthereof. A description of the physiological and morphologicalcharacteristics of such plants is presented in Tables 1-3.

TABLE 1 Physiological and Morphological Characteristics of Hybrid RX06692157 CHARACTERISTIC RX 06692157 Island Ploidy diploid diploidMaturity Growth Rate slow (Norgreen) slow (Norgreen) Plant (Prime MarketStage) Habit semi-erect (Long Standing semi-erect (Long StandingBloomsdale) Bloomsdale) Size medium medium Spread (cm) 36 cm 40 cmHeight (cm) 15.5 cm 15 cm Seedling Cotyledon Length of cotyledon mediummedium Width (mm) 6.4 mm 6.8 mm Length (mm) 51 mm 55 mm Tip pointedpointed Color dark green medium green Color Chart Name RHS Color ChartValue 146A 143A Leaf (First Foliage Leaves) Shape circular ovate BaseV-shape V-shape Tip round round Margin flat slightly curled UpperSurface Color medium green (Giant Nobel) medium green (Giant Nobel)Color Chart Name RHS Color Chart Value 147A 146A Lower Surface Colorlighter lighter (Compared with upper surface) Color Chart Name RHS ColorChart Value 147B 146B Leaf (Prime Market Stage) Surface semi-savoy(Northland) semi-savoy (Northland) Base lobed lobed Tip round roundMargin slightly curved slightly curved Upper Surface Color medium green(Giant Nobel) medium green (Giant Nobel) Color Chart Name RHS ColorChart Value 147A 146A Lower Surface Color lighter lighter (Compared withupper surface) Color Chart Name RHS Color Chart Value 147B 146B Lusterdull dull Blade size medium (Virginia Savoy) medium (Virginia Savoy)Blade Intensity of green color dark [Imola, Lavewa, Nores] BladeBlistering strong [Giraffe, Rhythm] medium [Butterflay, Koala, Mystic]Blade Lobing weak [Butterflay, Giraffe] weak [Butterflay, Giraffe] BladeAttitude (observed in horizontal [Lavewa, Mystic] horizontal [Lavewa,Mystic] relation to the horizontal, independent of the attitude of thepetiole) Blade Shape [excluding basal broad ovate broad ovate lobes](prime market stage) Blade curving of margin flat (Resistoflay) flat(Resistoflay) Blade shape of apex rounded (Imola, Nores) rounded (Imola,Nores) Blade shape in longitudinal flat (Mystic, Resistoflay) flat(Mystic, Resistoflay) section Petiole Attitude semi-erect [Monnopa,Parrot] semi-erect [Monnopa, Parrot] Petiole Length (prime market medium[TG = Butterflay, medium [TG = Butterflay, stage) Giraffe] Giraffe]Petiole Color medium green medium green Color Chart Name RHS Color ChartValue 143A 143A Petiole Red Pigmentation absent absent Petiole Length tothe Blade 8.7 cm 9.3 cm Petiole Diameter (mm) 7 mm 7 mm Petiole Diametermedium medium Seed Stalk Development Start of Bolting (10% of medium(Long Standing medium (Long Standing plants) Bloomsdale) Bloomsdale)Time of start of bolting (for medium [Matador, Monnopa] medium [Matador,Monnopa] spring sown crop, 15% of plants) Height of Stalk (cm) 79 cm 88cm Leaves on Stalk of Female many many Plant Leaves on Stalk of Malemany many Plant Plants that are Female 0-10% [Monnopa] 0-10% [Monnopa]Plants that are Male 0-10% [Monnopa, Parrot] 0-10% [Monnopa, Parrot]Plants that are Monoecious 91-100% [Monnopa] 91-100% [Monnopa] SeedSurface smooth smooth Spines (harvested seed) absent [Resistoflay]absent [Resistoflay] *These are typical values. Values may vary due toenvironment. Other values that are substantially equivalent are alsowithin the scope of the invention.

TABLE 2 Physiological and Morphological Characteristics of LineMSA66-1119M CHARACTERISTIC MSA66-1119M ESA66-1070M Species Spinaciaoleracea L. Spinacia oleracea L. Ploidy Diploid Diploid Maturity GrowthRate Slow (Norgreen) Medium (Long Standing Bloomsdale) Days fromplanting to prime 119 100 market stage Plant (Prime Market Stage) HabitSemi-Erect (Long Standing Semi-erect (Long Standing Bloomsdale)Bloomsdale) Size Small (America) Small (America) Spread (cm) 8.2 cm 14.0cm Height (cm) 4.6 cm 4.1 cm Seedling Cotyledon Width (mm) 5.1 mm 4.8 mmLength (mm) 33.9 mm 45.4 mm Tip Pointed Pointed Color Medium GreenMedium Green Color Chart Name RHS Color Chart Value 138A 143B Leaf(First Foliage Leaves) Shape Ovate Ovate Base V-shaped Lobed Tip RoundRound-pointed Margin Flat Slightly Curled Upper Surface Color Dark Green(Long Standing Dark Green (Long Standing Bloomsdale) Bloomsdale) ColorChart Name RHS Color Chart Value 139A 137A Lower Surface Color LighterSame (Compared with upper surface) Color Chart Name RHS Color ChartValue 138A 138A Leaf (Prime Market Stage) Surface Smooth (Viroflay)Semi-savoy (Northland) Shape Ovate (Broad Ovate) Elliptic (BroadElliptic) Base Lobed Lobed Tip Round-pointed Round-pointed Margin FlatCurled Under Upper Surface Color Dark Green (Standing Dark Green(Standing Bloomsdale) Bloomsdale) Color Chart Name RHS Color Chart Value139A 139A Lower Surface Color Lighter Lighter (Compared with uppersurface) Color Chart Name RHS Color Chart Value 137B 137C Luster GlossyGlossy Blade Size Small (Long Standing Small (Long Standing Bloomsdale)Bloomsdale) Blade Lobing Lobed (Weak) Lobed (Very Strong) Petiole ColorMedium Green Medium Green Color Chart Name RHS Color Chart Value 137C137C Petiole Red Pigmentation Absent Absent Petiole Length to the Blade2.8 cm 4.9 cm (cm) Petiole Length Medium Medium Petiole Diameter (mm)3.0 mm 3.4 mm Petiole Diameter Large (Giant Nobel) Medium Seed StalkDevelopment Start of Bolting (10% of Medium (Long Standing Early (DixieMarket) plants) Bloomsdale) Height of Stalk (cm) 46.2 cm 79.4 cm Leaveson Stalk of Female Many Few Plant Leaves on Stalk of Male Many Few PlantPlants that are Female 0-10% 0-10% Plants that are Male 0-10% 0-10%Plants that are Monoecious 91-100% 91-100% Seed Surface Smooth SmoothDisease Reaction Downy Mildew Resistant Resistant (Peronosporaspinaciae) Race 1 Downy Mildew Resistant Resistant (Peronosporaspinaciae) Race 2 Downy Mildew Resistant Resistant (Peronosporaspinaciae) Race 3 Fusarium Wilt (Fusarium Not Tested Not Testedoxysporum f. sp spinaciae) White Rust (Albugo Not Tested Not TestedOccidentalis) Curly Top Virus Not Tested Not Tested Cucumber MosaicVirus Susceptible Susceptible Other (Specify): Downy Resistant ResistantMildew Race 4, 5, 6, 7 Winter Hardiness Hardiness Location Not TestedNot Tested *These are typical values. Values may vary due toenvironment. Other values that are substantially equivalent are alsowithin the scope of the invention.

TABLE 3 Physiological and Morphological Characteristics of LineSSB66-1129F CHARACTERISTIC SSB 66-1129F SSB 66-1042F Ploidy diploiddiploid Maturity Growth Rate medium (Long Standing medium (Long StandingBloomsdale) Bloomsdale) Plant (Prime Market Stage) Habit flat (Viroflay)flat (Viroflay) Size medium medium Spread (cm) 40 cm 40 cm Height (cm)11 cm 11 cm Seedling Cotyledon Length of cotyledon medium medium Width(mm) 7 mm 5 mm Length (mm) 62 mm 68 mm Tip rounded rounded Color darkgreen medium green Color Chart Name RHS Color Chart Value 146A 146B Leaf(First Foliage Leaves) Shape ovate circular Base V-shape straight Tipround round Margin curled under slightly curled Upper Surface Color darkgreen (Long Standing dark green (Long Standing Bloomsdale) Bloomsdale)Color Chart Name RHS Color Chart Value 139A 147A Lower Surface Colorlighter lighter (Compared with upper surface) Color Chart Name RHS ColorChart Value 146A 147B Leaf (Prime Market Stage) Surface smooth(Viroflay) smooth (Viroflay) Base lobed lobed Tip round round Margincurled under curled under Upper Surface Color dark green (Standing darkgreen (Standing Bloomsdale) Bloomsdale) Color Chart Name RHS Color ChartValue 147A 147A Lower Surface Color lighter lighter (Compared with uppersurface) Color Chart Name RHS Color Chart Value 146A 146B Luster glossyglossy Blade size medium (Virginia Savoy) medium (Virginia Savoy) BladeIntensity of green color very dark [Lorelay, mystic] Blade Blisteringmedium [Butterflay, Koala, medium [Butterflay, Koala, Mystic] Mystic]Blade Lobing absent or very weak (US = not absent or very weak (US = notlobed) lobed) Blade Attitude horizontal [Lavewa, Mystic] semi-pendulous[Giraffe, Medania] Blade Shape [excluding basal broad elliptic broadovate lobes] (prime market stage) Blade curving of margin recurved(Imola) recurved (Imola) Blade shape of apex rounded (Imola, Nores)rounded (Imola, Nores) Blade shape in longitudinal flat (Mystic,Resistoflay) convex (Grappa, Lazio) section Petiole Attitude semi-erect[Monnopa, Parrot] horizontal [Comte, Lavewa] Petiole Length (primemarket medium [TG = Butterflay, long (US = Viroflay) stage) Giraffe] [TG= Grappa, Resistoflay] Petiole Color light green light green Color ChartName RHS Color Chart Value 146C 146C Petiole Red Pigmentation absentpresent (at base) Petiole Length to the Blade 8 cm 10 cm PetioleDiameter (mm) 7 mm 6 mm Petiole Diameter large (Giant Nobel) medium SeedStalk Development Start of Bolting (10% of medium (Long Standing late(Norgreen) plants) Bloomsdale) Time of start of bolting (for late[Grappa, Medania, very late [Chico, Lavewa] spring sown crop, 15% ofRevolver] plants) Height of Stalk (cm) 43 cm 51 cm Leaves on Stalk ofFemale many many Plant Plants that are Female 0-10% [Monnopa] 0-10%[Monnopa] Plants that are Male 0-10% [Monnopa, Parrot] 0-10% [Monnopa,Parrot] Plants that are Monoecious 91-100% [Monnopa] 91-100% [Monnopa]Seed Surface smooth smooth Spines (harvested seed) absent [Resistoflay]absent [Resistoflay] *These are typical values. Values may vary due toenvironment. Other values that are substantially equivalent are alsowithin the scope of the invention.

C. Breeding Spinach Plants

One aspect of the current invention concerns methods for producing seedof spinach hybrid RX 06692157 involving crossing spinach linesSSB66-1129F and MSA66-1119M. Alternatively, in other embodiments of theinvention, hybrid RX 06692157, line SSB66-1129F or line MSA66-1119M maybe crossed with itself or with any second plant. Such methods can beused for propagation of hybrid RX 06692157 and/or the spinach linesSSB66-1129F and MSA66-1119M, or can be used to produce plants that arederived from hybrid RX 06692157 and/or the spinach lines SSB66-1129F andMSA66-1119M. Plants derived from hybrid RX 06692157 and/or the spinachlines SSB66-1129F and MSA66-1119M may be used, in certain embodiments,for the development of new spinach varieties.

The development of new varieties using one or more starting varieties iswell known in the art. In accordance with the invention, novel varietiesmay be created by crossing hybrid RX 06692157 followed by multiplegenerations of breeding according to such well known methods. Newvarieties may be created by crossing with any second plant. In selectingsuch a second plant to cross for the purpose of developing novel lines,it may be desired to choose those plants which either themselves exhibitone or more selected desirable characteristics or which exhibit thedesired characteristic(s) when in hybrid combination. Once initialcrosses have been made, inbreeding and selection take place to producenew varieties. For development of a uniform line, often five or moregenerations of selfing and selection are involved.

Uniform lines of new varieties may also be developed by way ofdouble-haploids. This technique allows the creation of true breedinglines without the need for multiple generations of selfing andselection. In this manner true breeding lines can be produced in aslittle as one generation. Haploid embryos may be produced frommicrospores, pollen, anther cultures, or ovary cultures. The haploidembryos may then be doubled autonomously, or by chemical treatments(e.g. colchicine treatment). Alternatively, haploid embryos may be growninto haploid plants and treated to induce chromosome doubling. In eithercase, fertile homozygous plants are obtained. In accordance with theinvention, any of such techniques may be used in connection with a plantof the invention and progeny thereof to achieve a homozygous line.

Backcrossing can also be used to improve an inbred plant. Backcrossingtransfers a specific desirable trait from one inbred or non-inbredsource to an inbred that lacks that trait. This can be accomplished, forexample, by first crossing a superior inbred (A) (recurrent parent) to adonor inbred (non-recurrent parent), which carries the appropriate locusor loci for the trait in question. The progeny of this cross are thenmated back to the superior recurrent parent (A) followed by selection inthe resultant progeny for the desired trait to be transferred from thenon-recurrent parent. After five or more backcross generations withselection for the desired trait, the progeny have the characteristicbeing transferred, but are like the superior parent for most or almostall other loci. The last backcross generation would be selfed to givepure breeding progeny for the trait being transferred.

The plants of the present invention are particularly well suited for thedevelopment of new lines based on the elite nature of the geneticbackground of the plants. In selecting a second plant to cross with RX06692157 and/or spinach lines SSB66-1129F and MSA66-1119M for thepurpose of developing novel spinach lines, it will typically bepreferred to choose those plants which either themselves exhibit one ormore selected desirable characteristics or which exhibit the desiredcharacteristic(s) when in hybrid combination. Examples of desirabletraits may include, in specific embodiments, high seed yield, high seedgermination, seedling vigor, high fruit yield, disease tolerance orresistance, and adaptability for soil and climate conditions.Consumer-driven traits, such as a fruit shape, color, texture, and tasteare other examples of traits that may be incorporated into new lines ofspinach plants developed by this invention.

D. Performance Characteristics

As described above, hybrid RX 06692157 exhibits desirable traits, asconferred by spinach lines SSB66-1129F and MSA66-1119M. The performancecharacteristics of hybrid RX 06692157 and spinach lines SSB66-1129F andMSA66-1119M were the subject of an objective analysis of the performancetraits relative to other varieties.

Hybrid RX 06692157 can be characterized as a mid late bolting hybridthat has spineless seeds (smooth) with a resistance to downy mildew(Peronospora farinosa f.sp. spinaciae (Pfs) races Pfs 1 till Pfs 13.Furthermore the hybrid is phenotypically distinct from all well-knownmaterial by a combination of oval, dark leaves with medium strongblistering. To our knowledge, the hybrid that most closely resembles RX06692157 is Monsanto variety Island. The comparative characteristicsthat mostly distinguish to two hybrids include, but may not be limitedto resistances, leaf shape and leaf color. The candidate variety RX06692157 has a different resistance pattern, oval shaped leaves anddarker leaves compared to Island.

Spinach line SSB66-1129F can be characterized as a late bolting linethat has spineless seeds (smooth), with dark color and with a resistanceto downy mildew (Peronospora farinose f.sp. spinaciae (Pfs)) races Pfs 1till Pfs 13. Furthermore the line is phenotypically distinct from allwell-known material by a combination slow growing, erect growth habitand dark green leaf color.

The parental line believed to most closely resemble SSB66-1129F isMonsanto parental line SMB66-1100M. Comparative characteristicsdistinguish the two lines that include, but may not be limited tobolting and flowering. The candidate line SSB66-1129F is later boltingand is more female flowering compared to SMB66-1100M.

As described above, line MSA66-1119M exhibits desirable agronomictraits, including mid-early bolting, spineless seeds (smooth), adark/glossy green leaf color, slow growth, short petioles, round leaftype, a very compact growth habit, a short seed stalk, rather strongblistering, a stay-green characteristic under stress conditions, and aresistance to downy mildew (=Peronospora farinosa f.sp. spinaciae (Pfs))races Pfs 1 till Pfs 7. These and other performance characteristics ofthe line were the subject of an objective analysis of the performancetraits of the line relative to other lines.

The results of the analysis are presented below.

TABLE 4 Performance Characteristics For Line SSB 66-1129F andComparative Variety SMB66-1100M Bolting* Material 2009 2010 2011Flowering Leaf Color SSB66-1129F 31 44 31 Female Darker SMB66-1100M 2532 21 Male Lighter *bolting is number of days after 1^(st) of May

TABLE 5 Performance Characteristics For Line MSA66-1119M Bolting PetioleSeed Stalk Cotyledon LINE Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 3 Year 3 Year 3ESA66- 62 55 49 4.9 79.4 45.4 1070M MSA66- 72 62 65 2.8 46.2 33.9 1119MBolting = number of days after sowing Petiole = length in cm Seed stalk= cm height of stalk Cotyledon = length in mm

TABLE 6 Performance Characteristics For Hybrid RX 06692157 andComparative Variety ISLAND (Location: Wageningen, the Netherlands.)Resistances Leaf Shape Leaf Color RX 06692157 Pfs 1-13 Oval darkerIsland Pfs 1-7, 9, 11, 13 Oval to round Lighter

E. Further Embodiments of the Invention

In certain aspects of the invention, plants described herein areprovided modified to include at least a first desired heritable trait.Such plants may, in one embodiment, be developed by a plant breedingtechnique called backcrossing, wherein essentially all of themorphological and physiological characteristics of a variety arerecovered in addition to a genetic locus transferred into the plant viathe backcrossing technique. The term single locus converted plant asused herein refers to those spinach plants which are developed by aplant breeding technique called backcrossing, wherein essentially all ofthe morphological and physiological characteristics of a variety arerecovered in addition to the single locus transferred into the varietyvia the backcrossing technique. By essentially all of the morphologicaland physiological characteristics, it is meant that the characteristicsof a plant are recovered that are otherwise present when compared in thesame environment, other than an occasional variant trait that mightarise during backcrossing or direct introduction of a transgene.

Backcrossing methods can be used with the present invention to improveor introduce a characteristic into the present variety. The parentalspinach plant which contributes the locus for the desired characteristicis termed the nonrecurrent or donor parent. This terminology refers tothe fact that the nonrecurrent parent is used one time in the backcrossprotocol and therefore does not recur. The parental spinach plant towhich the locus or loci from the nonrecurrent parent are transferred isknown as the recurrent parent as it is used for several rounds in thebackcrossing protocol.

In a typical backcross protocol, the original variety of interest(recurrent parent) is crossed to a second variety (nonrecurrent parent)that carries the single locus of interest to be transferred. Theresulting progeny from this cross are then crossed again to therecurrent parent and the process is repeated until a spinach plant isobtained wherein essentially all of the morphological and physiologicalcharacteristics of the recurrent parent are recovered in the convertedplant, in addition to the single transferred locus from the nonrecurrentparent.

The selection of a suitable recurrent parent is an important step for asuccessful backcrossing procedure. The goal of a backcross protocol isto alter or substitute a single trait or characteristic in the originalvariety. To accomplish this, a single locus of the recurrent variety ismodified or substituted with the desired locus from the nonrecurrentparent, while retaining essentially all of the rest of the desiredgenetic, and therefore the desired physiological and morphologicalconstitution of the original variety. The choice of the particularnonrecurrent parent will depend on the purpose of the backcross; one ofthe major purposes is to add some commercially desirable trait to theplant. The exact backcrossing protocol will depend on the characteristicor trait being altered and the genetic distance between the recurrentand nonrecurrent parents. Although backcrossing methods are simplifiedwhen the characteristic being transferred is a dominant allele, arecessive allele, or an additive allele (between recessive anddominant), may also be transferred. In this instance it may be necessaryto introduce a test of the progeny to determine if the desiredcharacteristic has been successfully transferred.

In one embodiment, progeny spinach plants of a backcross in which aplant described herein is the recurrent parent comprise (i) the desiredtrait from the non-recurrent parent and (ii) all of the physiologicaland morphological characteristics of spinach the recurrent parent asdetermined at the 5% significance level when grown in the sameenvironmental conditions.

New varieties can also be developed from more than two parents. Thetechnique, known as modified backcrossing, uses different recurrentparents during the backcrossing. Modified backcrossing may be used toreplace the original recurrent parent with a variety having certain moredesirable characteristics or multiple parents may be used to obtaindifferent desirable characteristics from each.

With the development of molecular markers associated with particulartraits, it is possible to add additional traits into an established germline, such as represented here, with the end result being substantiallythe same base germplasm with the addition of a new trait or traits.Molecular breeding, as described in Moose and Mumm, 2008 (PlantPhysiology, 147: 969-977), for example, and elsewhere, provides amechanism for integrating single or multiple traits or QTL into an eliteline. This molecular breeding-facilitated movement of a trait or traitsinto an elite line may encompass incorporation of a particular genomicfragment associated with a particular trait of interest into the eliteline by the mechanism of identification of the integrated genomicfragment with the use of flanking or associated marker assays. In theembodiment represented here, one, two, three or four genomic loci, forexample, may be integrated into an elite line via this methodology. Whenthis elite line containing the additional loci is further crossed withanother parental elite line to produce hybrid offspring, it is possibleto then incorporate at least eight separate additional loci into thehybrid. These additional loci may confer, for example, such traits as adisease resistance or a fruit quality trait. In one embodiment, eachlocus may confer a separate trait. In another embodiment, loci may needto be homozygous and exist in each parent line to confer a trait in thehybrid. In yet another embodiment, multiple loci may be combined toconfer a single robust phenotype of a desired trait.

Many single locus traits have been identified that are not regularlyselected for in the development of a new inbred but that can be improvedby backcrossing techniques. Single locus traits may or may not betransgenic; examples of these traits include, but are not limited to,herbicide resistance, resistance to bacterial, fungal, or viral disease,insect resistance, modified fatty acid or carbohydrate metabolism, andaltered nutritional quality. These comprise genes generally inheritedthrough the nucleus.

Direct selection may be applied where the single locus acts as adominant trait. For this selection process, the progeny of the initialcross are assayed for viral resistance and/or the presence of thecorresponding gene prior to the backcrossing. Selection eliminates anyplants that do not have the desired gene and resistance trait, and onlythose plants that have the trait are used in the subsequent backcross.This process is then repeated for all additional backcross generations.

Selection of spinach plants for breeding is not necessarily dependent onthe phenotype of a plant and instead can be based on geneticinvestigations. For example, one can utilize a suitable genetic markerwhich is closely genetically linked to a trait of interest. One of thesemarkers can be used to identify the presence or absence of a trait inthe offspring of a particular cross, and can be used in selection ofprogeny for continued breeding. This technique is commonly referred toas marker assisted selection. Any other type of genetic marker or otherassay which is able to identify the relative presence or absence of atrait of interest in a plant can also be useful for breeding purposes.Procedures for marker assisted selection are well known in the art. Suchmethods will be of particular utility in the case of recessive traitsand variable phenotypes, or where conventional assays may be moreexpensive, time consuming or otherwise disadvantageous. Types of geneticmarkers which could be used in accordance with the invention include,but are not necessarily limited to, Simple Sequence Length Polymorphisms(SSLPs) (Williams et al., Nucleic Acids Res., 1 8:6531-6535, 1990),Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNAs (RAPDs), DNA AmplificationFingerprinting (DAF), Sequence Characterized Amplified Regions (SCARs),Arbitrary Primed Polymerase Chain Reaction (AP-PCR), Amplified FragmentLength Polymorphisms (AFLPs) (EP 534 858, specifically incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety), and Single NucleotidePolymorphisms (SNPs) (Wang et al., Science, 280:1077-1082, 1998).

F. Plants Derived by Genetic Engineering

Many useful traits that can be introduced by backcrossing, as well asdirectly into a plant, are those which are introduced by genetictransformation techniques. Genetic transformation may therefore be usedto insert a selected transgene into a plant of the invention or may,alternatively, be used for the preparation of transgenes which can beintroduced by backcrossing. Methods for the transformation of plantsthat are well known to those of skill in the art and applicable to manycrop species include, but are not limited to, electroporation,microprojectile bombardment, Agrobacterium-mediated transformation anddirect DNA uptake by protoplasts.

To effect transformation by electroporation, one may employ eitherfriable tissues, such as a suspension culture of cells or embryogeniccallus or alternatively one may transform immature embryos or otherorganized tissue directly. In this technique, one would partiallydegrade the cell walls of the chosen cells by exposing them topectin-degrading enzymes (pectolyases) or mechanically wound tissues ina controlled manner.

An efficient method for delivering transforming DNA segments to plantcells is microprojectile bombardment. In this method, particles arecoated with nucleic acids and delivered into cells by a propellingforce. Exemplary particles include those comprised of tungsten,platinum, and preferably, gold. For the bombardment, cells in suspensionare concentrated on filters or solid culture medium. Alternatively,immature embryos or other target cells may be arranged on solid culturemedium. The cells to be bombarded are positioned at an appropriatedistance below the macroprojectile stopping plate.

An illustrative embodiment of a method for delivering DNA into plantcells by acceleration is the Biolistics Particle Delivery System, whichcan be used to propel particles coated with DNA or cells through ascreen, such as a stainless steel or Nytex screen, onto a surfacecovered with target cells. The screen disperses the particles so thatthey are not delivered to the recipient cells in large aggregates.Microprojectile bombardment techniques are widely applicable, and may beused to transform virtually any plant species.

Agrobacterium-mediated transfer is another widely applicable system forintroducing gene loci into plant cells. An advantage of the technique isthat DNA can be introduced into whole plant tissues, thereby bypassingthe need for regeneration of an intact plant from a protoplast. ModernAgrobacterium transformation vectors are capable of replication in E.coli as well as Agrobacterium, allowing for convenient manipulations(Klee et al., Bio-Technology, 3(7):637-642, 1985). Moreover, recenttechnological advances in vectors for Agrobacterium-mediated genetransfer have improved the arrangement of genes and restriction sites inthe vectors to facilitate the construction of vectors capable ofexpressing various polypeptide coding genes. The vectors described haveconvenient multi-linker regions flanked by a promoter and apolyadenylation site for direct expression of inserted polypeptidecoding genes. Additionally, Agrobacterium containing both armed anddisarmed Ti genes can be used for transformation.

In those plant strains where Agrobacterium-mediated transformation isefficient, it is the method of choice because of the facile and definednature of the gene locus transfer. The use of Agrobacterium-mediatedplant integrating vectors to introduce DNA into plant cells is wellknown in the art (Fraley et al., Bio/Technology, 3:629-635, 1985; U.S.Pat. No. 5,563,055).

Transformation of plant protoplasts also can be achieved using methodsbased on calcium phosphate precipitation, polyethylene glycol treatment,electroporation, and combinations of these treatments (see, e.g.,Potrykus et al., Mol. Gen. Genet., 199:183-188, 1985; Omirulleh et al.,Plant Mol. Biol., 21(3):415-428, 1993; Fromm et al., Nature,312:791-793, 1986; Uchimiya et al., Mol. Gen. Genet., 204:204, 1986;Marcotte et al., Nature, 335:454, 1988). Transformation of plants andexpression of foreign genetic elements is exemplified in Choi et al.(Plant Cell Rep., 13: 344-348, 1994), and Ellul et al. (Theor. Appl.Genet., 107:462-469, 2003).

A number of promoters have utility for plant gene expression for anygene of interest including but not limited to selectable markers,scoreable markers, genes for pest tolerance, disease resistance,nutritional enhancements and any other gene of agronomic interest.Examples of constitutive promoters useful for plant gene expressioninclude, but are not limited to, the cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV)P-35S promoter, which confers constitutive, high-level expression inmost plant tissues (see, e.g., Odel et al., Nature, 313:810, 1985),including in monocots (see, e.g., Dekeyser et al., Plant Cell, 2:591,1990; Terada and Shimamoto, Mol. Gen. Genet., 220:389, 1990); a tandemlyduplicated version of the CaMV 35S promoter, the enhanced 35S promoter(P-e35S); 1 the nopaline synthase promoter (An et al., Plant Physiol.,88:547, 1988); the octopine synthase promoter (Fromm et al., Plant Cell,1:977, 1989); and the figwort mosaic virus (P-FMV) promoter as describedin U.S. Pat. No. 5,378,619 and an enhanced version of the FMV promoter(P-eFMV) where the promoter sequence of P-FMV is duplicated in tandem;the cauliflower mosaic virus 19S promoter; a sugarcane bacilliform viruspromoter; a commelina yellow mottle virus promoter; and other plant DNAvirus promoters known to express in plant cells.

A variety of plant gene promoters that are regulated in response toenvironmental, hormonal, chemical, and/or developmental signals can alsobe used for expression of an operably linked gene in plant cells,including promoters regulated by (1) heat (Callis et al., PlantPhysiol., 88:965, 1988), (2) light (e.g., pea rbcS-3A promoter,Kuhlemeier et al., Plant Cell, 1:471, 1989; maize rbcS promoter,Schaffner and Sheen, Plant Cell, 3:997, 1991; or chlorophyll a/b-bindingprotein promoter, Simpson et al., EMBO J., 4:2723, 1985), (3) hormones,such as abscisic acid (Marcotte et al., Plant Cell, 1:969, 1989), (4)wounding (e.g., wunl, Siebertz et al., Plant Cell, 1:961, 1989); or (5)chemicals such as methyl jasmonate, salicylic acid, or Safener. It mayalso be advantageous to employ organ-specific promoters (e.g., Roshal etal., EMBO J., 6:1155, 1987; Schernthaner et al., EMBO J., 7:1249, 1988;Bustos et al., Plant Cell, 1:839, 1989).

Exemplary nucleic acids which may be introduced to plants of thisinvention include, for example, DNA sequences or genes from anotherspecies, or even genes or sequences which originate with or are presentin the same species, but are incorporated into recipient cells bygenetic engineering methods rather than classical reproduction orbreeding techniques. However, the term “exogenous” is also intended torefer to genes that are not normally present in the cell beingtransformed, or perhaps simply not present in the form, structure, etc.,as found in the transforming DNA segment or gene, or genes which arenormally present and that one desires to express in a manner thatdiffers from the natural expression pattern, e.g., to over-express.Thus, the term “exogenous” gene or DNA is intended to refer to any geneor DNA segment that is introduced into a recipient cell, regardless ofwhether a similar gene may already be present in such a cell. The typeof DNA included in the exogenous DNA can include DNA which is alreadypresent in the plant cell, DNA from another plant, DNA from a differentorganism, or a DNA generated externally, such as a DNA sequencecontaining an antisense message of a gene, or a DNA sequence encoding asynthetic or modified version of a gene.

Many hundreds if not thousands of different genes are known and couldpotentially be introduced into a spinach plant according to theinvention. Non-limiting examples of particular genes and correspondingphenotypes one may choose to introduce into a spinach plant include oneor more genes for insect tolerance, such as a Bacillus thuringiensis(B.t.) gene, pest tolerance such as genes for fungal disease control,herbicide tolerance such as genes conferring glyphosate tolerance, andgenes for quality improvements such as yield, nutritional enhancements,environmental or stress tolerances, or any desirable changes in plantphysiology, growth, development, morphology or plant product(s). Forexample, structural genes would include any gene that confers insecttolerance including but not limited to a Bacillus insect control proteingene as described in WO 99/31248, herein incorporated by reference inits entirety, U.S. Pat. No. 5,689,052, herein incorporated by referencein its entirety, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,500,365 and 5,880,275, hereinincorporated by reference in their entirety. In another embodiment, thestructural gene can confer tolerance to the herbicide glyphosate asconferred by genes including, but not limited to Agrobacterium strainCP4 glyphosate resistant EPSPS gene (aroA:CP4) as described in U.S. Pat.No. 5,633,435, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety, orglyphosate oxidoreductase gene (GOX) as described in U.S. Pat. No.5,463,175, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Alternatively, the DNA coding sequences can affect these phenotypes byencoding a non-translatable RNA molecule that causes the targetedinhibition of expression of an endogenous gene, for example viaantisense- or cosuppression-mediated mechanisms (see, for example, Birdet al., Biotech. Gen. Engin. Rev., 9:207, 1991). The RNA could also be acatalytic RNA molecule (i.e., a ribozyme) engineered to cleave a desiredendogenous mRNA product (see for example, Gibson and Shillito, Mol.Biotech., 7:125, 1997). Thus, any gene which produces a protein or mRNAwhich expresses a phenotype or morphology change of interest is usefulfor the practice of the present invention.

G. Definitions

In the description and tables herein, a number of terms are used. Inorder to provide a clear and consistent understanding of thespecification and claims, the following definitions are provided:

Allele: Any of one or more alternative forms of a gene locus, all ofwhich alleles relate to one trait or characteristic. In a diploid cellor organism, the two alleles of a given gene occupy corresponding locion a pair of homologous chromosomes.

Backcrossing: A process in which a breeder repeatedly crosses hybridprogeny, for example a first generation hybrid (F₁), back to one of theparents of the hybrid progeny. Backcrossing can be used to introduce oneor more single locus conversions from one genetic background intoanother.

Crossing: The mating of two parent plants.

Cross-pollination: Fertilization by the union of two gametes fromdifferent plants.

Diploid: A cell or organism having two sets of chromosomes.

Emasculate: The removal of plant male sex organs or the inactivation ofthe organs with a cytoplasmic or nuclear genetic factor or a chemicalagent conferring male sterility.

Enzymes: Molecules which can act as catalysts in biological reactions.

F₁ Hybrid: The first generation progeny of the cross of two nonisogenicplants.

Genotype: The genetic constitution of a cell or organism.

Haploid: A cell or organism having one set of the two sets ofchromosomes in a diploid.

Linkage: A phenomenon wherein alleles on the same chromosome tend tosegregate together more often than expected by chance if theirtransmission was independent.

Marker: A readily detectable phenotype, preferably inherited incodominant fashion (both alleles at a locus in a diploid heterozygoteare readily detectable), with no environmental variance component, i.e.,heritability of 1.

Phenotype: The detectable characteristics of a cell or organism, whichcharacteristics are the manifestation of gene expression.

Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL): Quantitative trait loci (QTL) refer togenetic loci that control to some degree numerically representabletraits that are usually continuously distributed.

Resistance: As used herein, the terms “resistance” and “tolerance” areused interchangeably to describe plants that show no symptoms to aspecified biotic pest, pathogen, abiotic influence or environmentalcondition. These terms are also used to describe plants showing somesymptoms but that are still able to produce marketable product with anacceptable yield. Some plants that are referred to as resistant ortolerant are only so in the sense that they may still produce a crop,even though the plants are stunted and the yield is reduced.

Regeneration: The development of a plant from tissue culture.

Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) color chart value: The RHS color chartis a standardized reference which allows accurate identification of anycolor. A color's designation on the chart describes its hue, brightnessand saturation. A color is precisely named by the RHS color chart byidentifying the group name, sheet number and letter, e.g., Yellow-OrangeGroup 19A or Red Group 41B.

Self-pollination: The transfer of pollen from the anther to the stigmaof the same plant.

Single Locus Converted (Conversion) Plant: Plants which are developed bya plant breeding technique called backcrossing, wherein essentially allof the morphological and physiological characteristics of a spinachvariety are recovered in addition to the characteristics of the singlelocus transferred into the variety via the backcrossing technique and/orby genetic transformation.

Substantially Equivalent: A characteristic that, when compared, does notshow a statistically significant difference (e.g., p=0.05) from themean.

Tissue Culture: A composition comprising isolated cells of the same or adifferent type or a collection of such cells organized into parts of aplant.

Transgene: A genetic locus comprising a sequence which has beenintroduced into the genome of a spinach plant by transformation.

H. Deposit Information

A deposit of spinach hybrid RX 06692157 and inbred parent spinach linesSSB66-1129F and MSA66-1119M, disclosed above and recited in the claims,has been made with the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC), 10801University Blvd., Manassas, Va. 20110-2209. The date of deposit wereFeb. 17, 2012, Aug. 2, 2011, and May 5, 2008, respectively. Theaccession numbers for those deposited seeds of spinach hybrid RX06692157 and inbred parent lines SSB66-1129F and MSA66-1119M are ATCCAccession No. PTA-12552 and ATCC Accession No. PTA-12019, and ATCCAccession No. PTA-9182, respectively. Upon issuance of a patent, allrestrictions upon the deposits will be removed, and the deposits areintended to meet all of the requirements of 37 C.F.R. §1.801-1.809. Thedeposits will be maintained in the depository for a period of 30 years,or 5 years after the last request, or for the effective life of thepatent, whichever is longer, and will be replaced if necessary duringthat period.

Although the foregoing invention has been described in some detail byway of illustration and example for purposes of clarity andunderstanding, it will be obvious that certain changes and modificationsmay be practiced within the scope of the invention, as limited only bythe scope of the appended claims.

All references cited herein are hereby expressly incorporated herein byreference.

What is claimed is:
 1. A seed of spinach hybrid RX 06692157, a sample ofseed of said hybrid having been deposited under ATCC Accession NumberPTA-12552.
 2. A plant grown from the seed of claim
 1. 3. A plant part ofthe plant of claim
 2. 4. The plant part of claim 3, wherein said part isselected from the group consisting of a fruit, an ovule, pollen, a leaf,or a cell.
 5. A spinach plant, or a part thereof, having all thephysiological and morphological characteristics of the spinach plant ofclaim
 2. 6. A tissue culture of regenerable cells of spinach hybrid RX06692157, a sample of seed of said hybrid having been deposited underATCC Accession Number PTA-12552.
 7. The tissue culture according toclaim 6, comprising cells or protoplasts from a plant part selected fromthe group consisting of embryos, meristems, cotyledons, pollen, leaves,anthers, roots, root tips, pistil, flower, seed and stalks.
 8. A spinachplant regenerated from the tissue culture of claim 6, wherein theregenerated plant expresses all of the physiological and morphologicalcharacteristics of spinach hybrid RX 06692157, a sample of seed of saidhybrid having been deposited under ATCC Accession Number PTA-12552.
 9. Amethod of producing spinach seed, comprising crossing the plant of claim2 with itself or a second spinach plant.
 10. A method for producing aseed of a hybrid RX 06692157-derived spinach plant comprising the stepsof: (a) crossing a spinach plant of hybrid RX 06692157, a sample of seedof said hybrid having been deposited under ATCC Accession NumberPTA-12552, with a second spinach plant; and (b) allowing seed of a RX06692157-derived spinach plant to form.
 11. The method of claim 10,further comprising the steps of: (c) selfing the plant grown from saidRX 06692157-derived spinach seed or crossing it to a second spinachplant to yield additional RX 06692157-derived spinach seed; (d) growingsaid additional RX 06692157-derived spinach seed of step (c) to yieldadditional RX 06692157-derived spinach plants; and (e) repeating thesteps of (c) and (d) to generate further RX 06692157-derived spinachplants.
 12. A method of vegetatively propagating a plant of spinachhybrid RX 06692157 comprising the steps of: (a) collecting tissuecapable of being propagated from a plant of spinach hybrid RX 06692157,a sample of seed of said hybrid having been deposited under ATCCAccession Number PTA-12552; (b) cultivating said tissue to obtainproliferated shoots; and (c) rooting said proliferated shoots to obtainrooted plantlets.
 13. The method of claim 12, further comprising growingplants from said rooted plantlets.
 14. A method of producing a plant ofspinach hybrid variety RX 06692157 comprising an added desired trait,the method comprising introducing a transgene conferring the desiredtrait into spinach hybrid RX 06692157, whereby a plant of spinach hybridRX 06692157 comprising an added desired trait is produced, a sample ofseed of said variety having been deposited under ATCC Accession NumberPTA-12552.
 15. A plant of spinach hybrid variety RX 06692157 comprisinga transgene conferring a desired trait, a sample of seed of said varietyhas been deposited under ATCC Accession Number PTA-12552.
 16. A hybridspinach plant that exhibits all of the traits of spinach hybrid RX06692157, a sample of seed of said hybrid having been deposited underATCC Accession Number PTA-12552.
 17. A seed that produces the plant ofclaim
 15. 18. A seed that produces the plant of claim
 16. 19. A methodof producing a spinach plant part comprising: (a) obtaining the plant ofclaim 1, wherein the plant has been cultivated to maturity; and (b)collecting at least a first plant part from the plant.
 20. The method ofclaim 19, wherein the plant part comprises a leaf.
 21. A method ofproducing a plant of spinach hybrid RX 06692157, the method comprisingcrossing a spinach plant of line SSB 66-1129F with line MSA66-1119 M, asample of seed of said hybrid and said lines having been deposited underATCC Accession Number PTA-12552, ATCC Accession Number PTA-12019 andATCC Accession Number PTA-9182, respectively, wherein said crossingresults in said hybrid RX
 06692157. 22. A method of producing a plant ofspinach hybrid RX 06692157 further comprising a transgene, a sample ofseed of said hybrid RX 06692157 having been deposited under ATCCAccession Number PTA-12552, the method comprising crossing a plant ofline SSB 66-1129F with a plant of line MSA66-1119M, wherein at least oneof said lines comprises a transgene, a sample of seed of said lines SSB66-1129F and MSA66-1119M having been deposited under ATCC AccessionNumber PTA-12019 and ATCC Accession Number PTA-9182, respectively,wherein said crossing results in said hybrid RX 06692157 furthercomprising the transgene.
 23. A method of producing a plant of spinachhybrid RX 06692157 further comprising a single locus conversion, asample of seed of said hybrid RX 06692157 having been deposited underATCC Accession Number PTA-12552, the method comprising crossing a plantof line SSB 66-1129F with a plant of line MSA66-1119M, wherein at leastone of said lines comprises a single locus conversion, a sample of seedof said lines SSB 66-1129F and MSA66-1119M having been deposited underATCC Accession No. PTA-12019 and ATCC Accession Number PTA-9182,respectively, wherein said crossing results in said hybrid RX 06692157further comprising the single locus conversion.